Only Four Years Left
by ItWasEnchantingToMeetYou
Summary: All Atem wanted to do was get through these next four years so that he get back to what he did best - lie - and get paid for it. So, the last thing he expected was to become friends with 6 misfits. Nevermind fall in love with one of them. AtemxYuugi
1. Pilot: Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. Nor do I own Community in which this story is based on. Second chapter to be posted tonight. Review please.

Main pairing - Puzzleshipping. There will be others as well.

Note: This story is written for pure fun. Don't take it too seriously. :)

* * *

**Only Four Years Left**

_Pilot: Part 1_

* * *

It had only been a few days into the school year, and already Atem was questioning how much he really loved his career to put himself through this much torture. Now he didn't have anything against other community colleges, but Domino Community College wasn't your typical school. Not to mention the people here were very… odd.

"…Others tell me I'm weird because it's hard for me to connect emotionally with people, but that's probably due to my mother leaving me and my dad when I was really young. Now my father's always angry, so I live at school in a dorm. My name's Ryou, by the way."

"Ryou," Atem said, as he paid for his lunch. "It was very nice to know you then meet you, in that order. Now about that question?"

"Oh yes," the albino man said, looking at his watch. "It was five minutes after twelve when you asked."

Atem nodded and turned around to scan the lunch room for somewhere to sit when he noticed a familiar face. "Hey, Ryou," he said to the brown-eyed man, still standing beside him. "What do you know about the hot brunette in our Spanish class, sitting alone over there?"

Ryou followed the other's gaze to said female across the cafeteria. "Oh, well, I only talked to her for a minute today when she asked me for a pencil…but her name is Anzu, she has two older brothers, one of which has a disorder I might want to look up. She is really stressing out about the Spanish test tomorrow so she doesn't have time to talk and she's sorry if that makes her seem cold…"

Atem's eyes widened minutely. "Holy crap, Ryou. I see your value now," he said to the other with a pat on the shoulder.

Ryou paused, and Atem took the opportunity to sneak his way over to Anzu. "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me," he heard Ryou call after him.

Shaking his head, Atem approached Anzu's table and slid into the seat opposite her. "Hey."

"Don't hit on me," was his response.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Atem replied, with a small smirk. "I just wanted to let you know about my Spanish study group."

Anzu looked up from her text book and blinked at Atem. "Whoa, the guy who plays Bejeweled on his IPhone all of class has a study group? Can I sign up twice?"

"I'm just taking the class as an easy credit. I'm actually a Spanish Tutor."

"Can you say that now in Spanish?" Anzu challenged.

"Duermo tarde Espanol, una hora ma, no aranes mi coche."

Anzu raised an eyebrow, skeptically. "I really need help with Spanish."

"Yeah, I was willing to bet. Name's Atem. Group meets in the library at four."

"Anzu," she said, standing from her seat. "Thanks."

"You gonna be there?" he asked, watching her gather her books. His only response was a smile, as she walking away.

"Un poco mas. That means see you there," he said, loud enough for her to hear him.

The small smirk Atem wore widened dramatically. Now all he had to do was fake a Spanish study group, charm Anzu with his non-existent knowledge of the language, and convince her to spend the night with him. Easy as pie.

...

Atem couldn't help but chuckle at the door in front of him – more so because of the name on the door. _Professor Sennen_. That's a joke if he's ever seen one.

But nonetheless, he knocked on the door, sighing when an "_Absolutely not_" through the wooden frame was his reply. Ignoring the warning, he popped his head inside of the room and rolled his eyes at the sight of his brother, leaning back against his office chair and counting the holes in the ceiling. "If these guys knew you like I did, they would have given you a smaller office."

The other man looked down, a smile pulling at his lips when he recognized the visitor. "Atem," he greeted. "It's been years."

"Yes, yes it has," Atem said, stepping into the room. He closed the door behind him and sat down in the chair opposite his brother's desk. "How have you been, Yami?"

"I've been great. But, y'know, till this day I still cannot figure out how you got a jury to connect September 11th to my DUI. Then alone, why that helped."

Atem shrugged. "Well, 2002 was a simpler time."

"Ha," Yami scoffed, pushing his bleached bangs out of his eyes. "So, what brings you here, Atem?"

"Well… I'm a student now," he replied, flinching a bit on the inside. He still wasn't used to admitting such a travesty.

Yami hesitated for a second. "That cannot be an inspiring journey," he said.

"Yes, well, I am in a bit of a jam. You see, the state bar has suspended my license. They found out my college degree was less then legitimate."

Yami's furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "I thought you had a Bachelors from Columbia."

"Yeah, and now I have to get one from America…and it can't be an email attachment," Atem said, shrugging again. "Anyways, I'm hoping our friendship will yield certain advantages. You know, moral support, academic guidance, every answer to every test to every one of the classes I'm taking. Here's my schedule."

"Atem," Yami gasped, indignantly. "Just by asking that question, you've insulted the integrity of this entire institution."

Atem's eyes hit the ceiling at his brother's words. "You did seem less into integrity the day that I convinced twelve of your peers that the night you made a U-turn on the freeway and tried to order pot stickers from the emergency call box, that your only real crime was loving America."

Yami sighed and massaged his temples, already remembering why he and Atem didn't speak on regular terms. "I'll look into it," he muttered.

"Thank you, Yami," Atem said, getting up. "You're great."

"Mhm. Atem, are you familiar with the phrase, 'Cheaters never prosper'?"

"No," Atem replied, opening the door. "And if I wanted to learn something, I wouldn't have come to DCC."

With that, he shot his brother a grin and shut the door, leaving Yami to curse his mother for having twins in the first place.

...

When Atem entered the study room in the library, he had expected to find Anzu there waiting for him. What he didn't expect to find was Anzu _and _five other people, who were all staring at him expectantly.

"Oh, here you are," Anzu said. "I invited a few other people from Spanish class. Hope you don't mind."

"Mind?" Atem said, biting his lip. "No, of course not." Figuring that it was either blow his cover or go with it, Atem sat down at the rectangular table in front of him and smiled. "Let's all introduce ourselves before we start. I'm Atem. I'm sure you all know Anzu since she invited –"

"Hi everyone, I'm Ryou," the snow-white haired man said from his spot next to Anzu. He waved to everyone and then gestured to the man next to him. "This is Malik; he's kind of a jock with an ego to match. Next to him is Jou, who probably needs this study group more than any of us –"

"Hey!"

"Then there's Seto," Ryou continued, brushing off the blond man's outburst. "He really doesn't want to be here, but he needs to ace this class, and he doesn't want to pay on a private tutor, because he's very frugal and hates spending money."

"Do I even know you?"

"And finally, that's Yuugi. He's smart, nice, and good-looking – according to most of the school's population anyways. Hey, this is kind of like the Breakfast Club."

Atem, along with the rest of the group, blinked several times at Ryou. "Well…" Atem said quietly, glancing around the room, "it's nice to meet you all." His eyes stopped on Yuugi, who was, indeed, very attractive. He had a black mop of hair and blond bangs like his own, but his eyes were two pools of a purple and blue mix. He almost forgot who he faked being a tutor for in the first place. That was until she said something to him.

"So, we should start now," Anzu said aloud.

"No, not yet," Atem cut in. "Let's make sure no one has anything else to say to each other. Anyone?"

"Wait a minute," Malik piped up, staring at the blond beside him. "I recognize you. You're Katsuya Jounouchi. You're the kid from my high school that got hooked on pills two years back and dropped out. Ha! You're little Katy Adderall."

Jou hit the table with his fist, the nickname haunting him. "Yeah, and you're Malik Istar, a good-for-nothin' ass, who lost his scholarship after breaking your arms in a keg stand."

"It's called a keg flip; they're very hard to pull off!"

"Guys, maybe we should just start studying," Yuugi said quietly. "The test is tomorrow, after all."

"Oh yes, let's all listen to the pipsqueak here," Seto scoffed.

"I just – "

A loud slam hushed the entire table, and everyone looked over at Ryou, where the noise had originated from. "You know what I got for Christmas?" Ryou said, both hands flat on the table. "It was a banner year at the Bender family. I got a carton of cigarettes. The old man grabbed me and said, 'smoke up, Johnny'… No, dad, what about you!"

It took a full minute of silence and many stares of bewilderment in Ryou's direction, before Atem opened his mouth again. "Well…that actually was from the Breakfast Club."

Ryou paused. "Nobody puts baby in the corner."

Atem nodded slowly. "Dirty Dancing."

The sound of his phone ringing caught Atem off-guard and, after digging it out of his pocket, he was welcomed with a very interesting text message.

_Con-4-s-8-tion in my office now - Yami. _

"Where are you going?" Yuugi asked Atem, when the latter stood from his chair.

"I just have to meet with someone with a misguided grasp of abbreviation real quick. Be back in a second. I want all of you to hash everything out while I'm gone."

"But – " Anzu had started to say, but Atem had already slipped out of the room, and an entire new round of arguing had begun.


	2. Pilot: Part 2

_Pilot: Part 2_

* * *

"Supposed I told you I could get you the test answers," Yami said as soon as his brother walked into his office.

"I would say go for it," Atem told him. "And you could have said so in a text."

Groaning, Yami lifted both of his hands to his temples and massaged them. "Do you know the difference between right and wrong?"

Atem lifted a shoulder at the question. "Yami, I discovered at a very early age that if I talk long enough, I can make anything right or wrong. So either I'm God or truth is relative," he concluded. "In either case, booyah."

"Interesting," Yami replied, bringing a hand down to rub his chin. "It's just that the average person has a much harder time saying 'booyah' to moral relativism."

"You don't have to play shrink to protect your pride. I get it," Atem scoffed. "You're chicken."

Yami glared at the other. "Are you trying to use reverse psychology on a psychologist?" he asked, insulted.

"No, I'm using regular psychology on a mindless twit."

"I'm a Professor. You can't talk to me that way."

Atem rolled his eyes. "A six-year-old girl could talk to you that way!"

"Yes, because that would be adorable."

"No, because you're a five-year-old girl, and there's a pecking order."

"Fine, whatever," Yami shouted, pulling out a sealed binder from his desk drawer. "Here you go. Every answer to every test this semester."

"Aw, thanks, Yami," Atem said, reaching out for the thick booklet that held his easy-way out. "You're a doll."

"Wait, wait, wait." Atem scowled when Yami slapped his hand away. "What do I get in return?" he asked.

Atem gave his brother a confused look. "Um, the satisfaction of us being even?"

"That's not gonna do it…I want your car."

"My Lexus?" Atem asked, appalled.

"Yeah, I know; even, fairness, right, wrong, there is no God, booyah, booyah –"

"I'm not giving you my car for a semester's worth of answers."

"Will it be just a semester, Atem? Won't you be asking me for this for your entire stay here?"

Though there was truth behind what Yami was saying, Atem remained adamant. "There's no way I'm giving you my car."

Yami smiled when Atem made a move to leave. "Have a nice disbarment hearing," he said after his retreating brother.

Atem halted in his tracks and glowered at Yami over his shoulder. After another moment of consideration, he turned back, grabbed the binder off his desk, and tossed him the keys to his car. "I hate you," he muttered, making sure to slam the door behind him as hard as he could. Damn him.

* * *

The moment Atem walked back into the library, Anzu came speeding out of the study room, her face bright red and her lips thin. "Where have you been?"

"Had to pick something up. Anyways, it's getting kind of late. Dinner and drinks?"

Anzu's mouth widened in disbelief. "Do you even care about what you started in there? You're willing to put human beings in a state of emotional shambles for a shot at getting in my pants."

Atem lifted a brow. "Why can't you see that for the compliment that it is?"

"You – !"

"Okay, okay," Atem said, putting his hands up defensively. "What do you want me to do?"

"Maybe one decent thing would be to go in there and clean up your mess."

Atem looked over Anzu's shoulder into the room and watched as Malik picked up a chair and shoved it towards Jou as if the other was a wild bear. _Oh, Jesus._

"Okay," Atem assented. "But, after that, dinner right?"

Anzu laughed, while shaking her head. "Yeah, sure," she said, storming back into the room. "As if there was a dinner on earth that could make me forget that you are a shallow douchebag."

Atem winced to himself and followed her into the room. Screamed accusations was all he could hear and when asking if everyone could quiet down didn't work, he threw his textbook on the table, silencing everybody. "Alright everybody. I want to say something. Sit down," he said, aiming the last demand at Jou and Malik. "You know what makes humans different from other animals?" Atem began, once everyone was settled.

"Feet."

"You're an idiot, Malik," Jou replied. "Ducks have feet."

Atem ignored them. "We're the only species on Earth that observes Shark Week," he said. "Sharks don't even observe Shark Week, but we do. For the same reason I can pick up this pencil, tell you its name is Steve and go like this – " Ryou let out a little gasp as Atem proceeded to snap the pencil in half " – and part of you dies, just a little bit on the inside," he continued. "Because people can connect with anything. We can sympathize with a pencil, we can forgive a shark, and we can give my brother a teaching position. People can find the good in just about anything but themselves. Look at me," he said, gesturing to his stylish attire and handsome face. "It's clear, to all of you, that I am awesome. But I can never admit that, because that would make me an ass. But what I can do is see what makes Yuugi awesome."

Said man tried to fight the blush that filled his face when Atem gestured to him. "He's kind. We need kind people in the world. I sure wouldn't mind a world with more Yuugi's in it, would you?" Atem said. "And Anzu. She has wisdom to offer. If we listened to her sometime, I'm sure we wouldn't regret it. And Seto – he doesn't take shit from anybody. If we all had backbones like him, we'd probably like ourselves a lot more for not being push-overs. And Malik. Who cares if Malik thinks he's all that? Maybe he is."

"Damn straight," Malik commented.

"Then there's Jou, who laid-back and down-to-earth with a good head on his shoulders. Don't ever change Jou. And, last but not least, Ryou – Ryou's a shaman. You ask him to pass the salt, he gives you a bowl of soup. Because, you know what? Soup is better. Ryou is better. You are all better than you think you are, you are just designed not to believe it when you hear it from yourself. Now, I want you to look at the person sitting next to you. I want you to extend to that person the same compassion you extend to sharks, pencils, and my brother."

When it seemed as if he had inflated everyone's ego enough, he turned to Anzu. "Now if you will all excuse me, I have a dinner engagement with Anzu."

There was a pause from the brunette. And then, "I lied."

"What?" Atem said.

"Well, thanks for calming everybody down, but since you're not a Spanish tutor and just a lying jerk who purposely upset everybody in an attempt to get with me, I'd appreciate it if you leave and stop wasting all of our time."

It took Atem a few moments to recover from the full blow of Anzu's assault. "Fine," he eventually said. "But I'd like to say that the benefit of being a lying jerk is having all the answers to tomorrow's test which I'd be happy to share with anyone's who time I haven't wasted."

"I don't get it, Atem," Jou said. "If you have all the answers, why put together this study group?"

"I don't have a study group, Jou. I made it up. That's what I do. I make things up, and I used to get paid a lot of money to do it, before I came to this sorry-excuse of a school. I was a lawyer."

A small chorus of boos was his response, and Atem walked out of the room before anyone else could say anything to him. It was only when he got outside, completely pissed at the effort he had wasted, that he zipped open the binder in his hands. Over the span of the next thirty seconds, he grew more and more confused at the blank forty pages or so that filled the binder. It was only until he got to the last page – which had the small written word of 'booyah' at the bottom – did he bolt off to his brother's office, whipping the door open once he got there.

"Atem, before you say anything," Yami said, holding up his hands. "I want you to think about the gift you've been given."

"An excuse to stab a family member."

"No, not that. An important lesson, brother dearest. You see, the tools you acquired out there will not help you here at Domino. What you have right here is a second chance at an honest life."

Atem sighed. "Why are people trying to teach me things at a school that has an express-tuition aisle? Give me my keys."

"No, I have to keep the car for the lesson – no, don't hit me! Please don't hit me!" Yami threw the keys in Atem's hand as the other made a start towards him. "Atem?" he called when his brother walked out of the room. "Atem! Are we cool?...We cool."

* * *

It had taken a half hour of sulking on the main steps of the school, until Atem noticed someone taking a seat beside him.

"Hey."

Atem looked up into the violet eyes and blew the air from his mouth. "Hey."

A few moments of awkward silence, then, "That speech you made earlier to us, even though you made it up…It was really nice. Thanks."

Atem couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips. "You're welcome, Yuugi. So, I guess you think I'm the biggest douche on the planet, too?"

"No," the smaller said with a smile. "Not the biggest."

"Ha." Atem looked over at Yuugi and smirked. "Shouldn't you be studying?"

It was another voice from behind them that answered. "Nah. It got borin' after you left."

"Real question is: shouldn't you be rolling around in a bed of test answers?" Anzu asked coming up next to them, with Jou beside her. Seto, Malik, and Ryou weren't too far behind.

Atem laughed a bit, throwing the stack of empty pages in his lap onto the cement below. "I don't have the answers," he said quietly. "I'm gonna flunk the test."

"Just study for a few hours," Yuugi said. "It's not that hard."

Shaking his head, Atem sighed for about the fifth time that night. "The funny thing about being smart is that you can get through most of life without having to do any work …so I'm not really sure how to do that."

Yuugi bit his lip and glanced back at Anzu, flashing her his infamous puppy-dog eyes. Behind Atem, Anzu shook her head and made a gagging motion, to which Malik gestured to Atem and then slid his finger down his cheek to imitate a tear.

Ryou looked back and forth between all of them, raising an eyebrow at their mouth movements and hand gestures. "What's going on?" he said, loudly. "Can you guys hear me? Am I deaf? Can you hear me?"

"Yes, Ryou," everyone groaned.

"Good."

"You know what, Atem," Anzu started, "we actually didn't get that far without you so if you wanna come back upstairs…"

Atem furrowed his eyebrows, skeptically, and shot a look over his shoulder at Anzu. "Really?"

"Well it is your study group."

"Come on." Yuugi smiled and patted Atem's arm. "Let's go study."

Almost immediately, Jou and Malik initiated a heated race back up to the library, and Seto rolled his eyes, but followed reluctantly. He needed this A, after all.

Yuugi picked himself off of the steps, flashed Atem a dazzling smile, and walked with Anzu into the building.

Being the only ones left, Ryou turned to Anzu and tilted his head. "I'm sorry for disliking you for the past hour, and I see your value now."

Atem watched Ryou walk away into the building and nodded his head, before standing upright. "Well…" he said to himself, as he trudged up the steps, "that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."


End file.
